Charles e



(No Model.)

O. E. MYERS. BURIAL CASKET.

N0. 604,334. 7 Patented May 17,1898.

WHWESSES [Z A By miomeys TJNTTED; STATES PATENT Trice.

CHARLES E. MYERS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES G.BARTON, OF SAME PLACE.

BU RlAL-CASKET.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 604,334, dated May 1'7,1898.

Application filed October 16, 1897. Serial No. 655,383. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. MYERS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne, State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Burial-Caskets and I dodeclare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itapper: tains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to burial-caskets; and it consists in theconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth, and pointedout particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to produce a burial-casket in which thearrangement is such that the front side of the casket may be dropped orcaused to slide vertically downward when the casket-lid is opened andraised to its normal position when said lid is closed, producing bysimple and effective means a couch casket when open and a state casketwhen closed. This object is attained by the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of myimproved casket, showing the hinged lid raised and the front sidedropped, presenting the appearance of a couch. Fig. 2 is a transversesection through the casket closed. Fig. 3 is a like section through thecasket opened. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailin horizontal section, as online 4. at of Fig. 2, showing means for uniting the movable front sideof the easket to the ends thereof. Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective ofone of the jaws and angle-irons located at the ends of the movable sideof the casket, affording means for raising and lowering said side andguiding it in its vertical movement.

Referring to the letters of reference, A designates the body or shell ofthe casket, the back B and the ends B of which are firmly united andfixedly secured to the bottom B. The front side 0 of the casket shell orbody is mounted thereon so as to slide vertically, being adapted to bedepressed until the top thereof shall stand nearly on a plane with thebottom of the casket, as shown in Fig. 1, or raised to its normalposition, as shown in Fig. 2.

The vertical movement of the front side of the casket is effectedthrough the medium of the levers D, pivoted at e to the ends of theshell and having pivoted to their inner ends the links E, which arepivoted at b to the lid of the casket. The outer ends of said levers Dlie freely in the jaws F, formed on the upper ends of the standards G,which are secured vertically to the inner face of the movable side 0 ofthe shell, near each end thereof, said standards being retained in placeby means of bolts passing through the ears f thereon.

The lid H of the casket is hinged at its rear edge to the top of theback of the casket-shell, and by meansof the pivoted levers andconnecting-links, as above described, when the lid of the casket isopened the outer end of the levers D are thrown downward, therebyforcing downward the front side 0 of the easket-shell through theengagement of the outer ends of said levers with the jaws F, carried bysaid ,movable side. Upon the closing of the casket-lid the outer end ofthe levers D are raised, thereby carrying upward the movable side 0 toits normal position, as shown in Fig. 2.

To hold the movable side 0 of the casketshell in place during itsvertical movement, the standards G, secured to the opposite endsthereof, are provided with a lateral flange g, which projects from theedge thereof, formin g an L in said standards, adapted to receive thevertical ribs h, secured to the ends of the shell, whichserve as a trackor guide for the side 0 in its vertical movement and prevent said sidefrom being pushed outward or away from the ends of the shell by theaction of the levers D.

V It will now be understood that by means of the arrangement of parts asabove described simple and efficient provision is made for dropping thefront side of the casket-shell when the lid of the casket is raised andfor raising said side to its normal position when the lid is closed,enabling a couch effect to be produced in an inexpensive manner in acasket which is firm and durable and producing when closed thesubstantial and solid effect of a state casket.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, What I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a burial-casket, the combination with the casket-shell, of thevertically-movable side, the hinged lid mounted on the fixed portion ofthe casket, and means connecting said movable side With said hinged lidto effect a vertical movement of said side as said lid is opened andclosed.

2. In a burial-casket,the combination of the rigid portion of thecasket-shell, of the vertical movable side thereof, the hinged lidmounted on the fixed portion of the shell, and the levers and linksconnecting said lid With said movable side.

3. In a burial-casket, the combination with the casket-shell, of theside mounted to move Vertically thereon, the hinged lid, the pivotedlevers connected With said lid, and the jaws carried by said movableside engaged by the ends of said levers.

4. In a casket, the combination With the fixed portion of thecasket-shell comprising the bottom, ends, and one side, of thecomplementary portion of said shell consisting of a movable side, thelid hinged to the fixed side of the shell, and means connecting said lidwith said movable side to efiect a movement thereof as the lid is openedand closed.

In testimony whereof I at'fix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES E. MYERS.

Witnesses: 1

JAMES G. BARTON, EDGAR S. WHEELER.

